My Viking Vampire

by Krystal Shannan

  “You’re over a thousand years old, Thorson. You knew exactly what you were doing.”

  “Hey, guys. I’m sitting right here. It was a tiny cut. More of a lick, if you could even call it that.”

  Neither acknowledged me and their argument got nastier by the second, making me more and more uncomfortable. I took another gulp of my orange juice and then snatched a donut from the plate. If they weren’t going to talk to me, I could at least eat.

  After one bite, I had to hold back a moan of pleasure. The sweet buttery bread melted in my mouth, revealing just a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. The frosting tasted a little like a mix between maple syrup and honey. Simply divine. I shoved the rest of it into my mouth, ignoring their quarrel.

  Food was now my only concern. I was starving. The last thing I’d eaten was that tiny pack of animal crackers. And that’s all I’d had yesterday. I grabbed another donut and bit into the sticky, sweet bliss. A few moments later, I’d polished off all four and had gulped down the rest of the orange juice.

  Honestly, I was still hungry. The alluring smell of bacon and eggs wafted from the kitchen. At home, my breakfast usually consisted of a piece of toast. An actual breakfast was a luxury I rarely afforded. Peanut butter and day-old bread made up eighty percent of my diet. The restaurant leftovers usually accounted for the other twenty.

  “Let me get you a plate, Bailey. I’ll be right back.”

  I glanced up from the countertop, surprised that Rose was talking to me. Her voice was calm and friendly, unlike the cold biting tone she’d been using with Erick.

  I twisted in my seat and met his gaze. “Why is she upset with you?” I asked, once she’d gone through the door into the kitchen.

  “She is right. I took without asking.”

  “I’m fine. Really.”

  “You are right now,” he sighed, resting his elbows on the counter. “I’m the one who is feeling the bond already. I will always desire your blood from now on.”

  “Why?”

  “If we heal those we drink from, our blood links us together. Some vampires choose to feed only from other supernatural beings. Their blood is different and doesn’t create a connection. Not only did I taste your blood, but I used the smallest amount of mine to heal your cut.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning ... my blood is inside you now. I am linked to you.”

  “What does that do to me?”

  “I can sense where you are. If you are in pain or need help, I will know. I will protect you with my life, kjaere. You are part of me.”

  I looked down at the counter, taking a moment to absorb. He bonded to me?

  The door from the kitchen swung open, distracting me, and Rose returned, setting a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered toast down in front of me. I considered how easily I could scarf down the entire plate. I knew I shouldn’t, but over the years I’d taught myself to eat when I could. Survival was everything.

  “Thank you for the food.” I glanced up and met Rose’s gaze.

  “When was the last time you had a full meal, dear?”

  I stopped, the fork midway to my mouth. “A couple of days.”

  She nodded. “We have plenty and you are welcome to come back for more anytime of the day. One of us is always up cooking.”

  I thanked her again before I continued eating.

  “Erick, we’ll talk more later. Do you want a drink, or …” Her voice trailed off as her weighted gaze fell back on me.

  She seemed really concerned about the fact that he hadn’t fed in a while. It started to bother me, too.

  “What happens if he doesn’t eat?”

  “He gets cranky,” Rose answered, a smile returning to her face. “Staying sated gives a vampire good control. If they are hungry, they turn into a one-track record, only able to think about the thing they need.”

  I glanced at the blade she’d laid on the countertop. “How does he normally eat?”

  Erick interrupted. “I drink Rose’s blood or blood from one of the pixies. They cut their hand and fill a glass.” His voice was clipped and sharp, like he was disgusted at the very thought. How could one drop of my blood throw him off his norm?

  “Because it was a really good drop,” a familiar male voice called out. The bell on the door rang as it closed behind Garrett. He walked in with a swagger that announced he was quite pleased with himself.

  Stop reading my mind!

  “You were the one asking the question,” Garrett answered, chuckling.

  He and Erick exchanged a look I couldn’t decipher, but it didn’t enhance Erick’s mood at all. In fact, it made him even more agitated. So much so, I thought he would get up and leave the café without me.

  I placed a hand on his thigh. He instantly turned his gaze on me and it softened. The sweet, sexy man who’d taken care of me in his bathroom this morning returned and some of the tension in his shoulders melted away. “The thought of cutting myself really makes me ill, but maybe … if it doesn’t hurt too much, you could just bite me and drink from my arm or something.”

  His eyes widened at the suggestion and the entire café silenced. Even Rose stopped walking across the dining room with a tray full of food.

  “Bailey, I can’t. Drinking from your vein is not something to take lightly. You can’t come back from it. Your people would label you a blood whore if I left the marks. If I heal the marks, that means you continue to be exposed to my blood, which will only strengthen the bond between us.”

  The words stung. I’d always sworn I’d never let a vampire drink me for money. Erick had saved my life several times. It only seemed fair that I repay his kindness in the only way I could—with blood.

  But now they were reacting to my words, like the very act was something much more than just a mere meal. Why would being exposed to more of his blood be a bad thing? Bond or no bond, it was still just food to him.

  Garrett rose from his table and crossed the room.

  Erick’s leg twitched beneath my palm, but he didn’t speak.

  Garrett leaned against the counter to my left. “It is more. By agreeing to do this, you agree to be his. The more of his blood in your veins, the stronger his claim to you in our world. You shouldn’t make a decision like this without knowing the facts. No one will think less of you if you turn him down and consider other options.”

  A low growl rumbled in Erick’s throat and his muscles tensed beneath my hand. I knew what Erick held back. Garrett did, too. He took a step back, but didn’t leave.

  He was interested in me. I could see the heat in his eyes. Garrett’s nostrils flared and he stared back with an intensity I couldn’t match. Dropping my gaze to the floor, I shook my head. I wasn’t interested in him that way. No argument, he was more than handsome, but his touch and gaze didn’t light my body on fire the way Erick’s did.

  I’ve made my choice, Garrett.

  Looking back up, he held my gaze for a moment before muttering something unintelligible beneath his breath. Apparently, it hadn’t been difficult for Erick to understand. He leapt from his seat with a terrifying snarl and his fangs bared.

  My heart stopped in my chest and I held my breath. No. No. No.

  “Stop.” Rose’s voice cut through the noise and I tried to turn to look at her, but found I couldn’t move.

  What the hell? I was frozen as if someone had paralyzed every muscle in my body. Erick and Garrett were the same, stuck in mid-air, just about to try and choke the life out of each other.

  What had happened? What had such power over everything?

  My question was answered when Rose walked up to the three of us and lowered the tray to her waist. If she was the only one moving, she was the one doing the holding.

  “You will leave her alone, Garrett. Bailey belongs to Erick until she states otherwise. Blood or no blood.”

  Belongs? Hell, I didn’t belong to anyone. I tried to speak, but whatever was holding us prevented that as well.

  Garrett turned his gaze
to mine.

  I noticed the movement out of the corner of my eye. He’d heard my thought. Damn mind reader. The amusement in his eyes was infuriating.

  Who the hell was he to think he could lay any claim to me? I hadn’t belonged to a man since my ex beat the shit out of me, and that wasn’t about to change. I might stay with Erick and grow closer to him, but I wasn’t “his.”

  I turned my gaze toward Garrett, as far as my paralyzed head would allow.

  And I’m sure as hell not yours to worry about!

  He looked away. The amusement was gone from his sparkling eyes. He’d gotten the message.

  Stay out of my fucking head, too!

  As quickly as it’d washed over the café, the energy that locked us into place faded away. Garrett stomped out, slamming the door behind him. Erick stood and glared at Rose.

  “I wouldn’t have hurt him,” he muttered. “Not much.”

  “Not in my café,” she quipped back. “If you want to act like a barbarian from the tenth century, do it outside, away from the buildings.”

  Tenth century? I’d heard Rose call him a Viking, whatever that was. How old were the rest of the people around here?

  “Please d-don’t,” I faltered. “I’ll leave if it’s going to cause problems. I’ve been running for years. I’m used to being alone.”

  “No, dear. You’re not leaving. Travis and his brother Garrett are rough around the edges, but it was just his way of making sure you really wanted to be with Erick. Wolves are like that. They develop attachments quickly and are very protective. When he realized you would be staying in town, you became part of the pack, so to speak.”

  Erick rolled his neck, and narrowed his gaze at Rose. “You should have warned me he was coming. I didn’t even know Travis had a brother. Is he staying in Sanctuary or just passing through?”

  “I wasn’t sure when he would arrive so there was nothing to tell. He is joining his brother at the tattoo shop. Travis lost touch with Garrett until just recently. They both thought the other had died in a firefight in the Middle East.”

  “Army like Travis, huh?”

  “Special forces.” She nodded.

  He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me close to his chest. “Sorry about the show of testosterone. We get a little territorial when it comes to women, and vampires and werewolves especially aren’t fond of each other.”

  “But, everything is okay? You aren’t going to fight? I can’t stay if I’m going to cause problems.”

  “There will be no more problems with Garrett. I promise. I do need to introduce you to the Blackmoor brothers, but we can tackle that later.”

  “More brothers? What are they, cats?”

  Erick snorted. “There might be more problems if they ever hear you call them that.”

  “What did Rose do?” I asked, after she disappeared into the back of the restaurant. “What kind of Other can do what she did?”

  Erick sighed and leaned his elbows on the café countertop. “She is something very ancient and very powerful. If and when she wishes to share, she will. Just know you are safe here, Bailey. She promised to protect you like one of her own.”

  I nodded. Their desire for secrecy was understandable. I could only imagine what might happen if people found out about her. About this town.

  “Maven, would you bring me a box of the donuts to go?” he hollered at the back wall.

  The little pixie came scampering out a few moments later and slid a box down the counter. He caught it and tipped his head her direction.

  “Corinne says to enjoy.”

  “Tell her thank you.”

  “Will do.” Maven’s smile widened and I couldn’t help but smile back.

  They all seemed fine. No one was still nervous by what’d just gone down. The other people eating in the dining room were laughing and carrying on as if nothing had happened at all.

  Erick scooped up the box in one hand and looped his other through my right arm. “We have a few things to talk about. Would you please walk with me?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  My body came to life the second his hand slipped around my arm and he led me out of the café. Nerve endings sparked all over my skin and I struggled to nod. Excitement fizzed inside my body like bubbles dancing in a champagne glass.

  This whole place … it was filled with amazing people … Others. Supernaturals that no one knew about or had ever heard of. A little scary, but even more intriguing. They knew things about the world. History. Customs. The way life was hundreds of years ago. Maybe even further.

  Erick was right. It was a textbook fact taught in school that vampires and werewolves didn’t get along. So why were they living together in Sanctuary? Were there more wolves than just the two brothers they’d mentioned? Were there more vampires? Who or more appropriately what else made its home in this little weather-beaten town.

  I stared up at the Castle across the circle as we walked the sidewalk. It looked scary—and probably was. Even though I was curious about its inhabitants, when Erick said it was a fetish club I’d wanted to vomit. Kevin had tortured me for years. The last thing I ever wanted to see again was cuffs, collars, whips, and chains. I shuddered and looked away, refocusing my gaze on the upcoming shops.

  “What scares you about the club? You don’t seem like the type of person to let things rattle you.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Because you kept your cool in the park, even after you realized what was stalking you. You didn’t panic when the vampire tried to get you into his car. And when everything went to hell in the bus on the way here, not once did you scream or try to run off.”

  We turned the corner and I recognized that we were headed back to his place. “My ex taught me that panic equals more pain. It was a painful lesson, but it’s helped me keep away from him for a long time.”

  “He taught you … how?”

  “He tortured me.” I said it so easily. So matter-of-factly, like it wasn’t a big deal. Like it hadn’t ruined my life and made me withdraw from most all human contact.

  Until I met Erick last night, I hadn’t been interested in a man in almost five years. The girls at the restaurant called me the ice queen. I’d been called worse. That particular epithet was almost a compliment.

  I couldn’t figure out why I had warmed to Erick so quickly. Maybe it was the blood thing he and Rose had been arguing about. Maybe there were some pheromones influencing my hormones. Regardless of why, my thoughts kept drifting and imagining us in bed together, wrapped in each other’s arms. Images and sensations of pleasure developed in my mind and my body shook with anticipation. Moisture dampened the skin between my thighs and I felt an unfamiliar thrum in my sex. A desire I wouldn’t be able to ignore for long.

  We climbed the stairs to his front door in silence. I wondered what he thought of my statement. Had it turned him off? Would he ignore me and not pursue me any longer?

  He opened the door. A flash of blue crossed the open doorway for a second. Static electricity? But then it disappeared and he gestured for me to walk in first. I did.

  I slipped off my flats in the foyer and went straight for his comfy sofa in the front room. The door closed with a click and I heard him turn the deadbolt. A second later, the outside wall of the living room glowed a bright blue, just like the door had a few moments ago.

  It was just for a second, but maybe a little bit of panic was called for?

  “Bailey?” Stepping into the living room, he set the donuts on the coffee table in front of me and sat next to them. “Are you okay?”

  I could only imagine how white my face was. “What did you do? The walls. They were...”

  He narrowed his gaze and cocked his head. A second later he relaxed and smiled. “The blue?”

  I nodded, licking my dry lips and wondering what would happen next. Why had he smiled? Maybe I shouldn’t have trusted him so completely. Maybe I should have asked to stay somewhere else. The feeling of being caged haunted me, r
eaching up from the depths of my soul and clouding out every rational thought.

  “It’s a spell. All the buildings in town have an enchantment that prevents Djinn from being able to teleport inside. The door is the trigger. Like an on-off switch. The spell turns off if the door opens and turns back on the second the door closes. I’m surprised you didn’t notice it at the café.”

  He reached forward and laid a hand on my knee. Some of my anxiety ebbed at the reassurance, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being trapped.

  “There’s nothing to fear from it. The spell doesn’t keep you in. It doesn’t keep the Djinn out either, but it does slow them down … a little.”

  “So I could go open the door right now and walk outside?”

  “Yes.”

  I needed to know. I had to know. Even though my heart told me he was being honest, my head needed to know I wasn’t in a cage. I stood abruptly from the couch and hurried to the door.

  Slowly reaching out, I touched the handle of the deadbolt. It didn’t zap me or burn. I turned it and then pushed the lever down on the door handle. It swung open without a hitch. A quick flash of blue showed and then disappeared. I let go of the door and stepped across the threshold onto the front landing.

  Nothing.

  I was fine. He hadn’t been lying.

  Relief surged through my body as the warm, summer breeze fluttered through my hair.

  Stepping back inside, I closed the door and watched for the flash of blue. It was almost instantaneous with the door touching its frame. It was incredible to think that magick like this existed and still no one knew about it. Although, not many had known Others existed until fifty years ago.

  The world was full of secrets. Apparently a great deal more than most people knew.

  I turned the deadbolt and made my way back to the couch. Erick hadn’t moved from the huge, wooden coffee table. Sinking onto the white leather cushions, I released a long sigh. “There’s so much.”

  He nodded and moved his body from the table to the cushion next to me. The weight of his body tipped me closer to him and he slid an arm around my shoulders, pulling me onto his chest.